Which texture format to use??

Hi everyone.

Some painters provide alternative textures, 32bit, DXT3, .dds, etc. Which are the best to use and what are the advantages/pitfalls for each type? I usually stick to 32bit, but is this the best format?

Allan

There is plenty of information googling your question.

In a nutshell though, FSX uses mostly DTX5 .dds for its textures. 32bit is the best for detail, but can cause out of memory (AKA OOM) errors on complex aircraft such as PMDG, QualityWings etc.

Also FSX doesn't care if its .bmp or .dds however .dds are slightly faster because they are stored upside down which is one less processing step because graphic programs (ie FSX) will flip .bmp WHILE applying textures to a model.

You should compare the texture folders of a 32bit vs DXT5 to see the difference in storage space. DXT5 is substantially smaller.

Thank you Dogfish. That's VERY enlightening.

Allan